Boston Red Sox: 6 Reasons Why the 2012 Red Sox Will Be Better Than 2011

The 2011 Red Sox came into the regular season with huge expectations, but their season couldn't be described any better than being an all-out disaster.

Because of that, the Sox come into 2012 with very low expectations. But are those low expectations warranted? Here are six reasons why the 2012 version of the Red Sox is considerably better than the 2011 product.

Addition by Subtraction: The Team Parted Ways with Useless Veterans

One of the things that any team needs to be productive throughout the course of a grueling 162-game season is a whole lot of energy and enthusiasm. Therefore those things will be a common theme throughout many of these arguments.

Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, J.D. Drew and John Lackey all failed to bring much energy to the table at all last year. They brought even less to the table when it came to production.

Varitek and Wakefield both took their turns to retire valiantly as Red Sox legends who both won two World Series with a team that hadn't won one since 1918. Not taking anything away from the pair as they are two all-time Red Sox greats, they may have both retired a year or two late.

Varitek had his best offensive year in four seasons, but still only hit .221 in limited playing time and really struggled to throw runners out all year. 

Wakefield also struggled for the second consecutive season, finishing 7-8 with an ERA of 5.12. 

J.D. Drew, on the other hand, was a wasted contract for five years and was basically stealing big money from the team over that span. He was arguably the least energetic player ever to put on a Red Sox uniform. He hit only .222 with four home runs last season. He is now mulling retirement after his hideous contract has finally come to an end, and I'm sure he will not receive treatment like Wakefield and Varitek when he does decide to hang it up.

Lastly, John Lackey, who was absolutely miserable last season, finishing 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA, will miss the season with Tommy John surgery. If anyone has a bigger example of addition by subtraction please let me know.

All in all, as will be explained later, the Red Sox were able to fill these spots with young and energetic players that will bring more positive things to the Franchise.

Bobby Valentine Is a Much Needed Change of Pace from Terry Francona

Say what you want about Bobby Valentine's managerial skills or personality, but there is one thing that you can't deny: he's very energetic, possibly to the point of being fiery.

For some teams, this managerial style may not be the best. But after Terry Francona's laissez-faire managerial style came under intense criticism last year, Valentine ultimately became one of the main scapegoats for the epic September collapse.

Bobby Valentine will have his players ready to play every day. He will not allow the clubhouse nonsense that the players got away with last season. He also seems like the type of manager that the players will love to play for, despite his old-school ways.

The Carl Crawford Investment Should Finally Start Coming Through

When Theo Epstein and the Red Sox front office locked up Tampa Bay Rays superstar Carl Crawford to a huge $142-million contract last offseason, just about all of Red Sox nation was ecstatic, myself included.

But 2011 was a complete disaster for the Houston, Texas native, who finished with a miserable OPS of just .694 and stealing only 18 bases, considerably down from his career average of 51. 

Last year, the Red Sox were not getting a $142-million player. That being said, Carl Crawford is still the $142-million player that he was in Tampa Bay, and by all accounts he worked hard to prevent another awful season like 2011.

Once healthy, Carl Crawford should emerge at the very least to be an above-average outfielder who is considerably better than the 2011 version. At the best case scenario, he will perform like he did in Tampa Bay, and completely transform the identity of this ball-club.

A Very Quiet but Very Productive Offseason

As much as it seems to the casual fan that the Red Sox didn't do enough in the offseason to fill all their holes, I believe Ben Cherington's first offseason as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox was incredible.

His best move in the offseason, by far, was acquiring (no, stealing) All-Star closer Andrew Bailey and former elite prospect Ryan Sweeney from Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics for Josh Reddick and his swiss cheese like swing.

Bailey is not a household name because he played in Oakland, but he will be more (yes, more) productive than Papelbon at a much cheaper price. Sweeney is a guy who will compete for playing time in the outfield, and should be better than Reddick or J.D. Drew were last year. 

If Sweeney isn't the answer in right field, former World Series hero Cody Ross will be more productive than the Drew/Reddick platoon in 2011. Heck, probably 90 percent of Triple-A could be more productive than those guys, but at least the Sox picked up two potential fan-favorites to compete for the job.

Nick Punto, Mark Melancon, Kelly Shoppach, Ross Ohlendorf and Aaron Cook are all cheap, high-character guys who will bring positive things to the Red Sox if they make the team.

Ben Cherington did an incredible job this offseason in picking up value and building the team around cheap, high-character and high-energy players. 

Competition for Spots Only Makes Players Better

I could be completely missing the boat on this, but I'm not 100 percent sure the only reason why Cherington dealt Marco Scutaro to Colorado was to try and free up space to sign a big pitcher like Roy Oswalt.

Scutaro had a solid two years in Boston, but his new contract pretty much guaranteed him the starting shortstop job, and feeling comfortable in that position can only lead to mediocrity. 

Now the Red Sox will have youngster Jose Iglesias pushing veterans Mike Aviles and Nick Punto for the opening job. That level of competition will only elevate the work ethic and game of all three players.

In the Starting Rotation, two spots are still up for grabs, as guys like Aaron Cook and Vincente Padilla have shown up to camp ready to give it all they've got to move Daniel Bard, Alfredo Aceves and Felix Doubront back to the bullpen.

Lastly, in right field as I mentioned in the previous argument, high-energy players Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney will be battling for the majority of the playing time, with Darnell McDonald and young prospect Ryan Kalish also right behind them, when Kalish returns from a shoulder injury. 

Last year just about every large role on the team had been decided by the beginning of February, before the players even reported to camp in Fort Myers.

It's basic human nature that not having a guaranteed spot and forcing competition will only increase the level of play of those athletes.

They Are Once Again the Underdogs

Nobody expected the Red Sox to win the 2004 World Series, especially when they trailed the Yankees three games to none in the ALCS.

Nobody expected the Red Sox to win the 2007 World Series, especially when they trailed the Cleveland Indians three games to one in the ALCS.

It is obvious that the Red Sox organization prefers playing the underdog role and is uncomfortable playing the role of the favorites, like they did this season.

With just about every media source picking five American League teams to be better than them (Yankees, Angels, Rangers, Tigers, Rays), the Red Sox are back where they want to be. They now have nothing to lose and everything to prove, unlike last year when they played the whole season with everything to lose.

Patrick Kelly is a contributor for Bleacher Report. Please feel free to read and comment on my other articles and follow me on Twitter @PKellyNCAABB, for up-to-date news, opinion and analysis on baseball and college hoops.